不bù分fēn青qīng紅hóng皂zào白bái

What does 不分青紅皂白 (bù fēn qīng hóng zào bái) mean?

不分青紅皂白 (bù fēn qīng hóng zào bái) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "not distinguish blue, red, dark, white." In use it means: Without distinguishing right from wrong; indiscriminate; act without proper discernment. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.

Literally: "not distinguish blue, red, dark, white."

The reading

The eye that sees no difference between the colors cannot help the painter and cannot serve the dyer. Discernment is not judgment in the harsh sense but the fundamental capacity to distinguish one thing from another clearly enough to act appropriately toward each. Without it, all responses are equally wrong.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element火 Fire
• Zodiac tie猴 Year of the Monkey

Source Traditional Chinese folk saying (common in folk and literary contexts)

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.